Orapa is a town located in the Central District

Central District (Botswana)

Central is the largest of Botswana's districts in terms of area and population. It encompasses the traditional homeland of the Bamangwato people. Some of the most politically connected Batswana have come from the Central District, including former President Sir Seretse Khama, former President...

 of Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

. It is the site of the Orapa diamond mine

Orapa diamond mine

The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mine. The mine is located in Orapa, a town in the Boteti Sub-District of Botswana about west of the city of Francistown. Orapa is owned by Debswana, a partnership between the De Beers company and the government of Botswana...

, one of the largest diamond

Diamond

In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...

 mines

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 in the world, and is considered to be the diamond capital of the country. Nearby is another kimberlite

Kimberlite

Kimberlite is a type of potassic volcanic rock best known for sometimes containing diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond in 1871 spawned a diamond rush, eventually creating the Big Hole....

 mine owned by Lucara Diamond

Lucara Diamond

Lucara Diamond Corp. is a diamond exploration and mining company, operating in southern Africa but established in Canada.In March 2011, Lucara was reported to be discussing a merger with Gem Diamonds.-Operations:...

, thought to have very large reserves of diamonds.

The town has four schools, one of which teaches in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, serving a community containing a high proportion of expatriates. The population in 1996 was approximately 10,000 but has increased much in the last 10 years and is still increasing, due to the mining output having increased in line with development targets.

Restrictions and access

The town is served by the Orapa Airport

Orapa Airport

Orapa Airport is an private airport in Orapa, a town located in the Central District of Botswana. It is owned by Debswana, which also owns the Orapa diamond mine....

 which operates DeBeers-owned company aircraft to Gaborone

Gaborone

' is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana....

, Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

 and other significant locations. A gliding

Gliding

Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...

 club is located at the airport. An animal conservation region (game park) is located within the boundaries of the town.

Although the town is surrounded by fences to protect the diamond industry, it is not considered by most residents to be confined or restricted, but rather as a safe and prosperous environment in which to live.

It is the only town in Botswana that has 24-hour protection (only people with permits can access it). It is fenced, with a eastern and a western gate, and a thief or criminal can be banned or become a prohibited immigrant of the town. It has turned out to be a small suburb of cities as houses are constructed and arranged according to classes.